Magazine Catch Failure

[Dragon6]

Very dissapointed with my 40c. Less than 100 rounds fired. Multiple magazine drops during firing. Not one magazine emptied without slap and rack several times. Had a gunsmith fire the pistol at the range just to be sure I wasn't inadvertantly hitting the mag release during firing. He agrees the magazine catch not working properly. I've filled out the online request for a return tag. I'm hopeful S&W will resolve the issue but not sure I'll ever be able to trust this pistol.

 

[Gran Torino]

They will fix it......their customer service is very good.

 

[Houdini1953]

This type of problem is easily fixed, I had a Kel-TecPF9 that right out of the box on the third round dropped the magazine, I called Kel-Tec and received the parts to fix the weapon and had a gunsmith repair it in about 5 minutes and when I took the gun to the range and also trying out the magazine release I noticed that you had to put extreme pressure on the catch to release the magazine.

I now completely trust the weapon, but can understand your feeling. Get it repaired and try it out again and see if it doesn't operate as it should and fire magazine after magazine without dropping a mag!

 

[M29since14]

...I'm hopeful S&W will resolve the issue but not sure I'll ever be able to trust this pistol.

They will fix it. It is up to you to trust it or not, but if you do a thorough job of testing the gun when it returns, as you would with any pistol that you might use for self defense, why wouldn't you trust it?

If it is any encouragement for you, I have one of the first 40Cs I found locally. It has been great in all aspects. I much prefer it to the two G27s I owned before I bought the M&P. It is much more comfortable and has been every bit as reliable. I think you will be fine with the gun when it returns.

 

[OKFC05]

If you've never had a gun break before, you just haven't shot enough. I've seen a $14,000 custom gun break on the 26th shot, and after it was fixed, it shot flawlessly for decades.

 

[Roger S&W]

Got my new M&P40c a couple weeks ago and absolutely love it.
I agree it is far more comfortable and controllable than any other compact .40 out there.
S&W will make it right for you.
This M&P40c is a keeper for life.

 

[growr]

Smith will take good care of you........saying that you won't trust it after being repaired is sort of like not trusting your car after you had a flat tire fixed. Just my opinion.
Randy

 

[buckspen]

I bought a new full size M&P .40 cal about three years ago and shot it all summer long with reloads in our weekly speed steel match. I probably ran 3000 rounds through the gun that year. I cleaned it and put it in the safe for the winter and in the spring, I got it out and started to shoot steel with it again. I immediately had problems with the magazine dropping just enough for it not to feed the next round. Very frustrating. I described the problem on this forum and several folks responded and said that it was a known problem. They suggested contacting S&W customer service.
I did that and the fellow on the phone said he would put a new magazine catch in the mail to me right away. He did and I had it in about three days. I put the new mag catch in the gun and it has worked perfectly ever since.
So, I would say there is no need to send the gun to S&W. Either contact them and ask for a new mag catch or buy one from Brownell's. I did buy an extra from Brownell's but have never needed it.

- - - -Buckspen

 

[Lost Lake]

Very dissapointed with my 40c. Less than 100 rounds fired. Multiple magazine drops during firing.
I'm hopeful S&W will resolve the issue but not sure I'll ever be able to trust this pistol.

How can you ever trust the gun? It could be a sign! Better to just get rid of it and move on, your faith in your trusty weapon is worth a lot!!!

Your 40c however is not... Will you take $250 for it?

 

[Dragon6]

I did contact Customer Service, they weren't confident a new mag catch would solve the problem. Shipped the pistol to them this morning. Hoping for the best. To Lost Lake, no thank you. My gun dealer has offered to buy back the pistol for 80% of original purchase price towards another pistol if I'm not satisfied with it after repair.

 

[Dragon6]

S&W received by 40c today. Anyone have experience with turn around times with Customer Service? Hoping it's not a multiple month process.

 

[chuck s]

S&W turned my M&P15-22 carbine around in a week, but that's a sample of one (1).

-- Chuck

 

[Texas Solo]

The one time I used S&W warranty service, many years ago, it was top notch! Turn around was about a week. S&W takes this topic seriously. They don't forget about the customer after the sale. Best CS in the business.

 

[Dragon6]

Got an email today, My 40c is already on it's way back. I shipped it last Wednesday, it arrived there on Friday, they shipped back to me on Monday to arrive tomorrow. Total time one week. I'm very impressed. I hope the repair is as good as it was quick!

 

[Dragon6]

My 40c arrived today. The magazines seat much more easily. I believe it's fixed but will range test on Saturday.

 

[Dragon6]

It's fixed! Multiple magazines with a mix of ammo fired without failure.

 

[jgreiner]

Very dissapointed with my 40c. Less than 100 rounds fired. Multiple magazine drops during firing. Not one magazine emptied without slap and rack several times. Had a gunsmith fire the pistol at the range just to be sure I wasn't inadvertantly hitting the mag release during firing. He agrees the magazine catch not working properly. I've filled out the online request for a return tag. I'm hopeful S&W will resolve the issue but not sure I'll ever be able to trust this pistol.

This is why they have warranties. My money is on Smith making it right.

 

[jgreiner]

It's fixed! Multiple magazines with a mix of ammo fired without failure.

Good to hear.

 

[Texas Solo]

Excellent! See, we all told you that S&W was #1 in CS.

 

[Spanky45]

I've been shooting a full size M&P 40 that holds 15 in the mag and 1 in the chamber. With a fully loaded magazine I have had numerous mag drops. One firearm instructor said the Glock is famous for this when you fill the mag to it's max. His suggestion was to load one bullet less than full and my mag has never dropped since. Hope this helps.